Rice-polishing machine.



No. 767,459. PATENTED AUG. 16, 1904. R. W. WBLGH.

RICE POLISHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 16, 1904.

ATENT FFIQE.

ROSIA IV. WELOH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOB, BY DIRECT AND MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, TO ROYAL MILLING AND MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

' RICE-POLISHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,459, dated August 16, 1904.

Application filed April 9, 1902. Serial-No. 102,000. (No model.)

To all whom it may (Bo/warn: 7

Be it known that I, RosIA l/VELCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Rice-Polishing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for cleansing and polishing rice and similar grain; and its object is to provide a machine of this character which will quickly impart a white highly-glossy appearance to l the rice by the action of a polishing-cylinder with a spring-tooth circumferential surface rotating within a cylindrical roughened screen, preferably of woven wire, the rice being fed into the space between said screen and spring-tooth surface, so that the latter can act with a yielding wiping or dragging movement on the rice.

The invention consists of the constructions and combinations of the parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which* Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved rice-polishing machine with the cylindrical screen in section to better illustrate the rotary polishing-cylinder. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the machine, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, on a larger scale, illustrating a portion of the cylinder with its spring-teeth.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A designates the machine-framework provided with upper and lower cross-beams a a. l/Vithin the said framework and below the lower crossbeams a is secured a step-bearing b, and t0 the upper cross-beams a is secured a bracket 0, provided with ashaft-bearingc, and mounted to rotate in said two bearings 7) c is a vertical shaft (Z, provided near its lower end with a driving-pulley d, by which it may be connected by belt to any suitable source of power. Rigidly mounted on said shaft (Z between said upper and lower cross-beams is a polishingcylinder B, to whose circumferential Wall combs 0 are secured. As illustrated in the drawings, these combs are segmental in shape and are arranged on the cylinder in several series, one series above the other. By a series is meant the number of combs required to take in or complete the circumference of the cylinder, and in the present instance, as illustrated in Fig. 2. each series comprises three combs whose adjacent edges are spaced apart whereby to leave three vertical passages f, and, furthermore, the combs of one series are so arranged with respect to the combs of the next series above or below it that these vertical passages f do not coincide to form three vertical passages uninterrupted or continuous from the top to the bottom of the cylinder; but the passages between the combs of one series are staggered or out of alinement with the said passages of the series immediately adjacent, as shown in Fig. 1.

Each of the combs e is provided with bent or inclined spring-teeth e,preferably of wire,

.and the teeth of all the combs trend in the 'same ClIICtlOI1*I1itI116ly, a direction reverse to the direction which it is intended the cylinder shall rotate, as indicated by the darts, Figs. 1 and 2.

The polishing-cylinder B is inclosed by a stationary shell C, comprising upper and lower circular heads 5 ,r/ and a cylindrical screen it, of Woven wire or other suitablyroughened polishing material, supported between said heads and secured to a plurality of radially-arranged vertical wooden strips 71. A hopper j is supported on the upper head 9, and a discharge-spout Z is connected to the lower head 9 and is provided with a gate Z.

In practical operation a quantity of rice to be polished is fed into the hopper and is thrown by the centrifugal force of the rotating cylinder outwardly toward the circumference thereof, whence it finds its way down between the moving spring-teeth e and stationary screen /L, and the teeth, as they trend in a direction reverse to the direction 'in which the cylinder is being rotated, willeXert a dragging action on the rice and wipe or rub it along the roughened surface of the screen. The rice as it is wiped or rubbed along in the manner just described will find its way into the vertical passages f, and thus pass from one series of combs to the other series next below, being acted upon by each series in turn and coming out of the machine at the bottom discharge-spout Z in a pearly-white condition. The dust and other small particles of impurities from the rice will be sifted by centrifugal action out through the screen 7L.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A rice-polishing machine, comprising a framework, a vertical rotary cylinder in said framework, a plurality of combs secured on the circumferential wall of said cylinder one series above the other, the several combs of each series being spaced from one another at their vertical edges whereby to form vertical passages therebetween, the said passages between the combs of one series being out of alinement with the said passages between the combs of the contiguous series, and each comb being provided with spring-teeth, and a screen inclosing said cylinder in contact with the spring-teeth of said combs, as and for the purpose set forth. a In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROSIIA \V. VELOH; Witnesses:

CHARLES L. VIETscH, FREDERICK S. STI'JT. 

